How to get your kids through the end of daylight saving

By Melinda Ayre| 3 years ago

Mum and sleep expert has best tips ever

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ll know that daylight saving ends on Sunday. Sob.

I like daylight savings. Actually, that's wrong. I liked it once - B.K. (before kids). In years past, that extra hour of sunlight after a working day was bliss and I would head to Bondi Beach for some rays.

These days, as a parent — I like the end of it. Because, you see, my kids don’t like going to bed in daylight.

‘Mummy – it’s not even dark yet!’ they yell at 8pm as they pile their doonas up into cubby houses and start playing dolls/lego/shopkins etc.

So I'm rather pleased that it's drawing to an end.

Daylight saving ends at 2:00am this Sunday, 2 April 2017. You need to wind your clocks backone hour before you go to bed on Saturday.

Yay, you get one extra hour of blissful sleep – unless you’re a parent.

So 9Mums chatted exclusively to sleep expert and mother-of-two, Emily Duffell to get some tips. She's the co-founder of Sleepy Starz, inventor of the Sleepy Clock - and yep, she knows a thing or two about kids and sleep. Here's her advice on how to tackle the daylight saving finale.

We are family: Emily Duffell, inventor of the Sleepy Starz Sleep Clock with her family. Image: supplied

Start now! In the early hours of Sunday morning we’ll be putting our clocks one hour behind. One of the best things to do with kids is to start moving their bedtime earlier by 10 minutes each night now, in the lead up to daylight savings ending. Start the whole bedtime routine 10 minutes earlier and have them ready to go to sleep and close their eyes 10 minutes earlier each night. On the first night make sure they are ready for bed at 7:50pm, the second at 7:40 pm etc until you get to your desired bedtime.

Bedtime routines are crucial. With the start of daylight savings or the end of a daylight savings period, there is always a change in light in the child’s bedroom. Try and stay in control of the light and what the child is used to so it doesn’t startle them come bedtime. It is widely known that light will affect melatonin levels (and melatonin is what helps us all sleep…so let’s keep it dark if possible!)

Chat about it. For older children/toddlers, talk to them about possible changes that might be happening and prepare them for these changes. Toddlers understand a lot and they often do not respond well when confronted with something completely unexpected. For younger babies who we cannot reason with try and use the above technique of changing routines in 10 minute increments. Bring a bedtime feed, or a bedtime song (whatever method you choose to help your baby settle) forward by 10 minutes each night over a period of 1-3 weeks.

What's the Sleepy Starz Sleep Clock?

"Being a mum of an 8 year old and a 3 year old I have been through these daunting times in relation to sleep deprivation leading into post natal depression," says Duffell. "Sleep deprivation is a real issue that can lead to chronic illnesses. My first born was not a good sleeper well into her toddler years. I was a living zombie for a good 3 years."

After burying herself in research as well as experimenting with different sleep products, Duffell and her husband decided there was a need in the market for better toddler sleep solutions. "We spent 2 years creating the Sleepy Starz Sleep Clock which has just officially become available on the market."

The Sleepy Starz Sleep Clock uses child friendly and calming images to teach children when it’s time to go to bed and when they are allowed to get out of bed in the morning. It's a great way to ease your child into a new bedtime routine, like at the end of daylight saving. It has a 15 minute countdown, brightness controller and picture story book. You can set the countdown timer 15 minutes before you want your child to go to sleep. In this time, you can help them scrub their teeth or read the picture story book in the clock. This feature is great for preparing your little one for bedtime and winding them down so it doesn’t come as a shock when you say “sleep time!”